It’s referred to as
autism spectrum disorder for a reason—there is a wide variety of needs under the autism umbrella. This applies to many aspects (sensory needs, learning styles, etc.), but here we’re going to focus on communication around special interests. This is a key area of difference between autistic and allistic students (allistic means not autistic—this term is different from neurotypical as it recognizes that while the person is not autistic, they may be neurodivergent in other ways). While all people have areas of interest, for some autistic people these interests can be very specific and intense. They may learn all details about their special interest and have incredibly deep knowledge about the topic. When considering this issue, it’s important to understand the broader context of communication and autism.
Communication in autistic individuals can differ in many different ways, both in verbal and nonverbal communication, and particularly as it relates to social communication. Here are just a few of the potential differences in communication:
1. Nonverbal communication: autistic people may not understand nonverbal communication or use nonverbal means of communication themselves in the same way as allistic people (nonverbal communication can include facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice). They may have a clear understanding of the words being communicated but not be able to integrate that with the nonverbal communication they’re receiving.
2. Verbal communication: This can range from precocious language abilities and extensive vocabulary to a complete lack of verbal communication. It’s important to remember that non-speaking does not necessarily indicate a lack of understanding.
3. Reciprocity: Autistic people often have special interests and love to talk about it as much as they can, but are not necessarily looking for a back and forth conversation on the topic—they just want to talk about it because it’s their passion. Because most listeners won’t say “I’m just not interested in hearing about (insert special interest here)”, the autistic person may not read the nonverbal cues and continue to talk at length. They also may not be able to assess whether or not the listener would be interested in that topic.
It can be difficult to provide generalized guidance on strategies for communication with autistic students since the needs can vary so widely, so I won’t try to do that here. Instead, I’ll focus on some pointers for specific communication differences.
- If you have a student with a special interest who likes to talk about that interest at length, be direct rather than hoping it will stop at some point (because it probably won’t!). You can say to the student “It’s great that you love (special interest) so much, but I think we’ve talked about that enough for now.” If it persists through the lesson, you can remind the student that you’ve spent all the time talking about that subject that you’re doing to for the time being. That said, I like to allow the student to talk about it for a minute or two. This can be a good rapport builder.
- By contrast, if you have a student who is nonspeaking and has a special interest, they will communicate this in other ways. They may continue to engage in exploration of this interest rather than the task at hand. For example, if they’re interested in the mechanics of the piano, they may continually open the piano lid to look at the mechanics even when redirected. Depending on the student, they may not understand lengthy verbal communications. Communicate clearly by saying “right now, we’re doing (task)” and gently guiding the student away from their preferred activity, in the example provided above, by closing the piano lid. Ensure that your verbal and nonverbal communication match to allow more communication points for your student to take in.
Having these special interests can be an incredible gift for the autistic person and for those around them—the individual has something that they’re passionate about, and we can learn a lot about that topic from them (I know I have!). However, there’s nothing wrong with balancing their sometimes intense need to engage with that interest and your pedagogical goals. Just be sure to redirect in a way that is respectful of their differences in communication, understanding that the special interest and the way that it’s expressed is a beautiful part of their neurodiversity.
Happy teaching!
